Jumping-rope.



T. L. WEBSTER. JUMPING ROPE.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT; 24, 1910.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

TLMfehtew:

THOMAS L. WEBSTER, OF MOUNT CARMEL, PENNSYLVANIA.

JUMPING-ROPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

Application filed September 24, 1910. Serial No. 583,662.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS L. VVnBs'rnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Carmel, in the county of Northumberland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in J umping-Ropes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in jumping ropes, the object of the invention being to provide a jumping rope with handles and with means for connecting the ends of the rope to the handles and causing one end of the rope to be detached from one of the handles after the rope has been turned a predetermined number of times, hence causing the rope to fall at one end after such number of revolutions has been completed, and therefore causing the child using the rope to discontinue jumping when such a predetermined number of revolutions has been completed.

The invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a jumping rope provided with handles and automatically acting connecting devices constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is partly an elevation and partly a sectional view showing one of the handles, a portion of the rope, and means for connecting one end of the rope to the handle and to disconnect the same therefrom after the rope has been turned a predetermined number of revolutions. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the same.

In accordance with my invention, the jumping rope 1 is provided with handles 2 and with means for connecting the ends of the rope to the handlesand causing one end of the rope, when the rope is turned in either direction, to be automatically disconnected from the handle after the rope has been turned a certain number of times. I will now describe one specific form of device for carrying my invention into effect.

Each handle 2 is provided at its inner end with a screw stem 3, the threads 4: of which describe a number of convolutions, in the present instance 25.. The inner portion of the stem is unthreaded, as at 5, and is of a somewhat less diameter than the threaded portion of the stem. The handle is also preferably provided with a ferrule 6. The threads of the stems of the handles run in the same direction. In connection with each handle and its threaded stem I provide an attaching element for one end of the rope, the said attaching element being here shown as a plate 7 constituting a swiveling and traveling nut, provided with a threaded opening 8 for engagement with the threaded stem of the handle and also having a socket portion 9 for the reception of one end of the rope, the said socket portion of the attaching devices being formed by a pair of arms 9 which are bent around the end of the rope. When the attaching devices are at the inner unthreaded portions of the screw threaded stems 8 of the handles, said attaching devices may freely rotate, without moving longitudinally on said stems, and hence the rope may be turned, as in jumping, the unthreaded portions of the stems and the said attaching devices forming swivel connections between the ends of the rope and the handles. If the handles are held at a slight inclination with the inner ends of the handles elevated, the Weight of the rope and of the attaching devices will cause the latter to remain, by gravity, on the unthreaded portions of the stems and hence the rope may be used without its becoming disconnected from either of the handles.

Then it is desired that the rope, after a certain number of revolutions, should become disconnected from one of the handles,

the person using the rope depresses the in-v ner ends of the handles, or in other words, holds the handles in a slightly inclined position so that their inner ends are lowermost, and hence one of the attaching devices by the revolution of the rope will engage the threaded portion of the stem on which it is mounted and hence will move outwardly on the stem at each revolution, and after the rope has made a number of revolutions cor responding to the number of convolutions of the thread on the stem, the said attaching device will drop from the end of the said stem and hence disconnect one end of the rope from the handle, as will be understood. Owing to the fact that the threads on the stems of the handles extend in the same direction on both stems, one end of the rope will be disconnected from one of the handles no matter in which direction the rope is turned, whether forwardly or rearwardly, as will be understood.

I do not desire to limit myself to the pre cise construction, combination and arrangement of devices herein shown and described, as it is evident that modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invent-ion and within the scope of: the appended claims.

Having thus described my what I claim is 1. 111 combination with a jumping rope and a handle therefor, a detachable connecting means, and means whereby the same is detached after a predetermined number of rotations of the rope.

2. In combination with a jumping rope, and a handle therefor, means to detachably connect the rope to the handle, said connectinvention,

ing means including means to detach the rope from the handle after a predetermined number of rotations of the rope.

3. In combination with a jumping rope, and a handle therefor, means to detachably connect the rope to the handle, said connecting means including means actuated by the rotation of the rope to detach the rope from the handle after a predetermined number of rotations of the rope.

4. The combination with a jumping rope having an attaching member at one end provided with a threaded opening, a handle having a threaded stem at one end to engage the said threaded opening of said attaching device and cause said attaching device to become disconnected from said stem by screw action resulting from the rotation of the rope a number of times corresponding to the number of convolutions of the screw thread 011 said stem.

5. A jumping rope having an attaching device at one end provided with a threaded opening, in combination with a handle having a stem at one end provided with an unthreaded inner portion, the remainder of said stem being screw threaded for engagement with the threaded opening of said attaching device.

6. A jumping rope having attaching devices at its ends each provided with 'a threaded opening, in combination with handles each provided at one end with a threaded stem for engagement with a threaded opening of one of said attaching devices.

7. A jumping rope provided with attaching devices at its ends, each having a screw threaded opening, in combination with handles each provided at one end with a screw threaded stem for engagement with the threaded opening of one of said attach: ing devices, each of the said stems having an unthreaded portion at its inner end.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS L. RIVEBSTER.

Witnesses WALTER WILLIAMS, GEORGE WEBSTER. 

